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Eugene (Tangled)
Eugene Fitzherbert (better known as Flynn Rider) is the deuteragonist of Disney's 2010 animated feature film, Tangled. A swashbuckler known for his charm and quick-wit, Flynn made a name for himself as a notorious thief alongside his partner, Lance Strongbow. In a turn of events following years of travel and plunder, however, he experienced a change of heart upon falling in love with Rapunzel, the lost princess of Corona. Background Eugene Fitzherbert was born to King Edmund and his wife, rulers of the Dark Kingdom, as Horace. During Eugene's infancy, the kingdom was corrupted by a powerful opal that threatened to destroy the land. King Edmund ordered for a kingdom-wide evacuation to protect his subjects from the opal's destructive power—including Eugene, who was escorted out of the kingdom by a servant woman and later placed in an orphanage. Eugene never knew the truth of his lineage. He grew up believing that his parents were fearless adventurers traveling the world to make names for themselves. Eugene remained hopeful that once they did, they would return to the orphanage and take him back. In the meantime, Eugene spent all his days with his fellow orphans. His only companion at the time was his lifelong friend, Arnwaldo Schnitz. Every night, Eugene would read "The Tales of Flynnigan Rider", stories of a rich and dashing swashbuckler who had an abundance of thrilling adventures wherever he went. The more Eugene read it, the more he dreamed of a more audacious lifestyle and decided to break out of his orphan upbringing. Eugene eventually ventured out with Arnwaldo—now known as Lance Strongbow—and grew up into a dashing swashbuckler and gifted horseman under an alias taken from his childhood hero: Flynn Rider. With Lance by his side, Flynn became one of the most infamous thieves in all of Corona, making enemies at nearly every port. He would also plunder regions well beyond Corona, such as Italy, where he learned to speak Italian. Being drawn in more and more by his new ambition and becoming more and more aloof from the people around him, Flynn sought a solitary life of money and freedom, far away. Apart from Lance (with whom he eventually lost contact), Flynn formed partnerships with other criminals, one of which being a ruthless kingpin known as "the Baron." During their alliance, Flynn developed a relationship with the Baron's daughter, Stalyan. The two were eventually engaged, but Flynn created a bitter enemy in his employer when he left Stalyan at the altar. Everything Flynn ever wanted, however, quickly lost its appeal in the days he met Rapunzel. When Flynn met the lonesome girl in a remote tower, he was quite irritated to be coerced into taking her to see the Festival of Lights at the kingdom so that he could get back a valuable stolen tiara she had hidden from him. As he spent time with her, he gained a respect for the headstrong young lady that became strong affection and caring. As Flynn cast aside his cares for treasure and solitude he realized his old dream had been replaced by a new one. Flynn fell completely in love with the lost princess and helped her reunite with her parents and reclaim her throne. Eugene went back to his birth name, stopped thieving, and married Rapunzel a few years later. The two are currently living happily ever after. Personality When first introduced, Flynn is presented as arrogant, backstabbing, and trouble-making. He unabashedly committed acts of thievery on the royal family of Corona, all to achieve a selfish lifelong goal of becoming as wealthy as humanly possible. Despite these antagonistic traits, Flynn viewed such acts as mere means to boost his ego which, at the start of the film, was comedically inflated, to the point where he would rely on his supposed charisma to sneak his way out of a potentially dangerous situation. As mentioned above, Flynn is also rather comedic, whether it's intentional or not. He has a peculiar relationship with the palace horse, Maximus, who he constantly finds himself at odds with throughout the film, being that they were highly different on the moral spectrum at the start of the film. Even so, they managed to form a meaningful partnership, and eventual friendship; initially for the sake of Rapunzel, though they were shown to have become fond of one another over time. Despite viewing himself as charming, a recurring situation involving Flynn includes the thief being looked down upon by other characters (such as the Pub Thugs or the palace guards) who would often perform acts that would purposely result in Rider's humiliation, such as having the portraits of his "Wanted" poster be depicted with cartoonishly large or unattractive noses, much to his annoyance. Despite all of this, Flynn's arrogance is revealed to provide a false sense of optimism as the thief is highly vulnerable and capable of showing and feeling legitimate emotion. This is seen after he meets and forms a relationship with Rapunzel. The princess' refusal to be fooled by Flynn's charisma, and genuine interest in his life and struggles, would be the first motivators to dropping the "Flynn Rider" persona and accepting who he alluded to being in the orphanage, which was caring, starry-eyed, and selfless. Once his facade is dropped, and Eugene truly opens up to both Rapunzel, and himself, he is portrayed as a loving, loyal, and protective companion. For Rapunzel, he was willing to give up his life of thievery to remain by her side, in hopes of starting a new life for both himself and the princess, believing they've both deserved second chances after facing experiences less than pleasant over the years. Unlike Gothel, Eugene viewed Rapunzel as a person, caring for her feelings, rather than her magical hair. In spite of being greedy at the start of the film, Rapunzel's magic was never a concern to him, nor did he once ponder on the thought of using her for her powers to obtain wealth. When those who attempt to do so came about, such as Gothel, Eugene takes action and becomes a fierce protector, willing to go against foes twice his size, if necessary. He also proved himself to be selfless in this instant, risking his life for Rapunzel's safety, despite being given the chance to leave a situation safely. Physical appearance Flynn is of average height and build with fair skin, short dark brown hair, a scruffy goatee, and light brown eyes. As far as attire goes, Flynn regularly dons a turquoise vest with a white long-sleeved shirt underneath, coupled with dark cream pants and brown bucket-top boots. He also wears a belt with a similar color scheme around his waist; connected to it is a miniature satchel. 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